Security but not at cost of public convenience

ISLAMABAD - The beefing up of security of sensitive government buildings as well as other sensitive areas including the Diplomatic Enclave and residences of foreign dignitaries is imperative in the changed security situation but the same could not be done at the expense of public convenience and the laws governing the civic matters. As nobody is prepared to handle things in this changed situation, the fortification of the buildings which could be the likely target of the terrorists have started and everywhere in the major cities huge concrete walls are erected around the sensitive buildings and at places special sand filled bags are placed outside the buildings to check the possible attacks by the terrorists. Due to pressure of suicide attacks and the bomb blasts in all the major cities of the country, where the terrorists came out with novel mode of destruction one after the other, the fortification of the possible target buildings was carried out without any set criteria. To the disadvantage of the fear-stricken people, a lot many roads in the Federal Capital and adjoining Rawalpindi were declared no-go areas for the common people while on the other hand they were subjected to pass through rather humiliating, security checkpoints while travelling between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The general public have suffered the most during the current wave of terror and it is ironic to note that the masses are again the sufferer due to the fortification of buildings and closing of a number of roads and they have to take a long round to reach their destinations. For instance the road in front of a sensitive department on main Zero Point-Aabpara road was closed and the people have to adopt alternate routes to reach Aabpara. Though there is no second opinion on beefing up security arrangements and even no one has objection to the fortification of the sensitive buildings but the way the security walls are erected and special sandbags are placed on the roads and footpaths have no justification as it adds to the public inconvenience. The residents of Federal Capital are not happy the way people have encroached the roads and footpaths in the name of security arrangements and argued that if the people feel threatened they should build walls and place special sandbags inside their boundary walls instead of placing it outside their premises. Similarly, a number of social workers and people belonging to NGOs raised concern the way Australian High Commission was erecting concrete wall, a few metres outside their boundary wall on both Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat facing Prime Ministers Secretariat and Constitution Avenue. They argued that if the High Commission required beefing up of their security, they should have done it inside their premises instead of building a concrete wall outside their premises defacing the whole landscape of the area. Some of the social workers said that the Constitutional Avenue and the buildings situated on it is part of the national heritage and in the name of security measures its face should not be mutilated.